Land Of Plenty

Sample the bounty of food, wine and brews in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

- Karin Leperi

GREAT FOOD, WINE AND CRAFT BEER. Besides all things culinary, Willamette Valley is home to about 70 percent of Oregon’s population and is considered the cultural and political heart of the state. It might also be considered the heart of Oregon’s food and wine explosion. Named for the river that runs through it, the 150-mile-long sheltered valley is bordered by the Oregon Coast Range on the west, the Cascade Range on the east and the Calapooya Mountains to the south.

Starting in the 1840s, this was the destination of many a westbound pioneer family following the Oregon Trail. They were looking for fertile soils and new beginnings. Today the valley is known for its bountiful agriculture ranging from olives, honey, hazelnuts and flowers to grass seed, turf and its world-class Pinot Noir wine — a fickle grape that responds well to distinctive diurnal temperature changes characteristic of the Willamette. (The valley also produces outstanding Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and other varietals.)

First, to the wines. The region is an agriculturally fertile powerhouse in large part due to the spread of rich volcanic and glacial soils from the Missoula Floods — the last of some 40 floods occurred about 13,000 years ago. The coveted volcanic red Jory soil, most common above 300 feet elevation, is noted for providing the excellent drainage necessary for producing wine grapes of superior quality. That, along with various distinctive microclimates in the valley, create terroir that varies by soil, elevation and exposure.

The Willamette’s viticulture uniquely capitalizes on innovation and artful production by mostly family-owned and -operated vineyards. Many farm sustainably and organically. And many tasting rooms define new boundaries in wine and food pairing.